Steel & Stone Series Epilogue
by immoore
Summary: Years after the defeat of Hades on both Earth and the Underworld, Piperel Griffiths has finally grown into the leadership position she was always destined to hold. Now, there is news that could shock the foundation of all three worlds. Will Ash and Piper be able to stay strong through this new development or will it be the hurdle that finally breaks them?


Piper rolled out of bed, nausea gripping her as she fought back fatigue. She groaned as she finally managed to get up and stretch. She was returning to the Overworld today and had to make sure the arrangements were made in her absence. She quickly pulled on her dragon-scale halter top and arm guards. She hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, but as she was already planning to visit the _ryujin_ , she hadn't let it slow her down. Her kin in the Overworld were amazing healers. She had studied under them occasionally over the last few years and learned a great deal. Healing was a necessary skill in her line of work.

A soft chirp came from the other side of the bed. Zwi stretched out before bounding up to her and climbing onto her shoulder.

"You ready, Zwi?"

An affirmative chirp answered her. Piper ruffled Zwi's mane affectionately. Ash wasn't always able to visit because of his duties in the Taroth territory, but that didn't stop Zwi from coming when he couldn't. Sometimes she wondered whether Zwi came on her own or because Ash asked her to. She suspected it was a little bit of both. She still remembered the time Zwi had gone against Ash's wishes and brought Piper along, despite his anger. Ash hadn't been pleased.

"Zwi, can you find Melonie for me?"

Zwi chirped and unraveled herself from around Piper's neck. As she followed the dragonet down the hall, she began to think about her Taroth warlord. It had been a few weeks since she had seen Ash and she missed him desperately. Their separate lives and responsibilities kept them apart more often than not but their love was as fierce as ever. A blush crept onto her face as she thought about their last evening together. The way his sharp grey eyes stared into her soul, darkening as she stroked his wings. A vague recollection of one of Natania's memories had made her curious enough to ask him about it. As it turns out, draconian wings are indeed _very_ sensitive.

She shook her head before following the catlike dragonet into the office suite. Melonie looked up from her desk in their shared office as she entered. She had trained the girl herself and now Melonie was her counterpart when she wasn't on base. As the Gaian ambassador between the worlds, her time was split between Earth, the Overworld, and the Underworld. It was a more powerful position than it seemed because it was a position of leadership in the Gaians. It also allowed her to keep the checks and balances in place between the daemons and humans. And the haemans of course. She had trained Melonie herself because she needed to be sure of the person in charge of their position when she was gone. Someone who wouldn't see the daemons through the jaded eyes of the old misconceptions. The girl's loyal disposition didn't hurt either.

"Piper!" Melonie exclaimed as she rose from the desk. "Sivan came in earlier, he wants to see you before you leave."

Piper nodded as she strode to her desk and shuffled through the papers. Melonie's hair was pulled back in a sleek chignon, concealing the jeweled daggers that hold it in place. The pins themselves were the sheaths for the daggers. Piper had given them to her when she finished her training. She grinned at Melonie's choice of hairpins.

"Zwi, could you-?" Zwi chittered, looking pointedly at the ceiling. A shape that she hadn't noticed unfurled from the shadows, another dragonet.

She looked at the catlike figure as its scales shimmered into their normal grey, it was Sivan's dragonet. She looked directly at it.

"Could you please ask Sivan to come in?"

Golden eyes blinked at her, a silent acquiescence, and she double checked the preparations for her absence with Melonie. They had ironed out issues with her constant absence a year after Melonie had finished her training and now it was a routine with them. Melonie prepared to leave so that Piper could hear Sivan's report in private, but Piper waved her away. Melonie needed to know what was going on in case something occurred that needed immediate attention. A pet project of hers, that she had grossly abused her power to put into action, was to create a way for haemons to see magic without having to cross the void and get a daemon form. If haemons were able to see magic, it would greatly increase the life expectancy of their female children. Or the hybrid children at least. She didn't think it was right that a haemon couple had to be frightened of the impending death of their female offspring. The only known way to increase their chances of survival was to send them through the Void, but the odds still weren't in their favor. She aimed to change that.

Sivan's report brought both good and interesting news. They should have a prototype in a few weeks, but apparently the great minds she had coerced into helping were now dragging their feet. She had used her position and connections to convince families from both the Overworld and Underworld to provide some of their best innovators to help with this cause and join a team led by Lyre. Apparently they were dragging their feet because they had made such incredible progress with various theories by talking to each other that they didn't want to leave.

She vaguely wondered if she could create a place where all great minds would be free to come to research and converse. She tucked it into the back of her mind for now, another thing on her long to-do list. After Sivan left, she realized she didn't have to wait to do something about her idea, she could hand the project to Melonie. The whole reason Melonie was there was to share the weight of their position, it was time she started trusting her with it. Melonie's eyes lit up with excitement as Piper shared her idea. Their worlds have been divided for so long, she wondered how much knowledge had been lost because of it.

Hours later, Piper stepped out to the ley line by the old consulate. She had asked Zwi if she wanted Piper to drop her off in the Underworld on the way, half hoping she would agree if only so Piper could see Ash, even if it was just for a moment. Zwi had merely ruffled her mane with self-importance and given her a look, daring Piper to leave her behind. Piper had sighed and finished sealing her room off before they left. Zwi had been splitting her time between Ash and Piper lately, Piper had joked that she was like a child of divorce. Ash had merely scowled, his expression unreadable. When she pressed him about it, he admitted that Zwi found Piper's life more interesting since he was stuck in meetings all the time.

Zwi thrived in the underground city of the ryujin. Piper suspected it was because, while she still couldn't fly, she had been attempting to swim lately. That and all of the attention she got from the ryujin. Piper fought her nausea back as they stepped out of the ley line and towards the edge of the cliff. She forgot it completely when they dove off, Zwi clinging to her back and chittering excitedly. They both savored the thrill of the fall before the river embraced them. If Zwi, or anything without ryujin blood, tried to make that drop alone it would have been much more lethal.

When they reached the ryujin city, Hinote was waiting for them. He embraced her as she felt his welcoming presence in her mind. He had begun to update her on recent community news when another spell of nausea hit her. She felt the concern in his presence and then the question, asking for permission. Hinote's telepathic presence said more than words ever could. She nodded quickly, still fighting the wave of nausea that had engulfed her. She felt his magic wash over her, probing for the source of the problem, and then he stilled, shock vibrating from him.

Piper took a deep breath as she finally recovered from her bout of nausea and looked up at the ryujin. His face was blank but his dark eyes still showed an echo of the shock that had pulsed through him. Suddenly, she didn't want to know what was wrong with her. Hinote was rarely surprised, if he hadn't healed her with his magic already then it was probably something very, very bad. She took a deep breath in and slowly released, fighting to maintain calm as she followed Hinote. She sat down at the low table across from him and began to serve herself. She had a hard time eating, despite her hunger, partially due to the nausea and partially due to her own nerves.

She thanked him for the meal before daring to look up again. His face was expressionless, the shock that had penetrated his presence replaced with the usual warmth.

"Hinote? What's wrong with me?" She pushed the question out quickly, before she could lose her nerve. She knew that she would have to acknowledge the problem sooner or later, and she'd grown accustomed to facing issues head on. The thought didn't do anything to quench the concern that gripped her, only hardening her resolve to find out.

"Child," he said in his inflectionless voice. His bearing gave nothing away but she could feel the concern and awe that emanated from him. It only served to confuse her further. "You have the power of two great dragons within you."

Confusion surged within her, she knew Hinote must have felt it in her presence.

"But, I'm not part draconian. If I was, then Tenryu would have acknowledged me as such."

"Piper," Hinote said, his eyes gentle. "You yourself are a silver child. Dragon kin to Shinryu. Your child will be dragon kin to both Shinryu and Tenryu." His gazed drifted pointedly to her stomach.

Another wave of nausea crashed down as her mind started spinning. Hinote passed her a glass of tart liquid and the nausea quickly subsided. Her head kept spinning though, as she tried to grasp what he was saying.

"What?" Her hand flew to her stomach, almost dislodging Zwi from her lap. Her heart started pounding in her head as she tried to come to grasps with this information. She was still trying to put the world back together, but how could she do that when her own world was falling apart? "That's not possible. I'm ryujin. Different castes can't breed together."

Hinote's dark eyes appraised her. "Piper, I will admit that I do not know how this has happened. Never before has there been a relationship between kin of both Shinryu and Tenryu."

Piper crawled into her bed hours later, her head still spinning. Hinote had two theories about how this had happened. One was that perhaps ryujin and draconians were in fact compatible since they both were dragon-kin. As only one ryujin has ever left their homeland, it made sense that their compatibility had never been tested. Add to it the fact that both castes were considered extremely rare, and it made a lot more sense. His other theory was that her human side had caused it to be possible in the same way that a haeman and a daemon could have offspring together. Since eighty percent of haemons are infertile, Piper wasn't sure which of his theories was more likely.

She sighed and placed a hand on her smooth stomach. Somehow, against all odds, she and Ash had made this little miracle. When Hinote had first revealed the cause of her nausea, her thoughts had flicked to what would happen to her role as an ambassador. Now, she realized that not much would have to change. Her child would be born of all three worlds and she wanted them to be able to experience each of them. As ambassador, she was in the best position to show them that. Hope began to flicker inside her. This child wasn't pulling her world apart, but it might be able to pull all three worlds together.

That light of hope gave her enough clarity to think about what this life inside of her meant. Was it really possible that this was the next Taroth? Would the draconians accept it? Oh god, would Ash accept it? Piper's hope was squashed as she began to think about his reluctance to have an heir. Both of them had thought it would be impossible for her to have his heir, and they'd never discussed it beyond Ash dismissing it as him being hers as long as she wanted him. Even before they met though, he had refused to have a child. How would he react to the news that it was now out of his control?

Piper shivered as a violent wave of protectiveness swept through her. Or maybe it was nausea again? She did feel dizzy. She curled into a ball, hugging her middle. It surprised her to realize how much she wanted this baby, now that she knew that's what it was. She would do anything to protect it. She was amazed that she could love this little being that she had never met so much. She had never thought she could love anything as much as she loved Ash, but this was a product of their love. She would figure out how to tell Ash in the morning.

She awoke to a hand gently brushing her cheek. She pressed her face into the palm as she shook off the haze of sleep. As she opened them, her eyes locked onto Ash's clear grey ones. Her heart broke as reality came crashing down around her. It had all been a dream, a cruel, beautiful dream. She wanted to break down as everything she never knew she wanted was wrenched away from her. She choked on her sob as she reached for Ash, for his strength. The expression on his face was so tender that all she wanted was to stay in his arms forever. She buried her head in his shoulder as she tried not to cry. She wanted it. She wanted it, and she had never realized how much before. Her heart shattered completely as she realized she would have to choose between that life and the daemon that she loved. She clutched him tighter as she realized she would have to let him go. Fate was cruel. She wanted the very thing that Ash needed and it was the one insurmountable obstacle between them. It wasn't until Ash shifted on the bed that she realized it was much too small to be the bed in his suite. She peeked out over his shoulder and noticed the detailed waves carved into the wall lit by a blue light. She pushed against him in surprise.

"Ash! What are you doing here?"

A glint of amusement shown in his eyes.

"Zwi," he said in his low voice. He pulled her back against his chest as his hand slid across her belly. So it wasn't a dream then. What? How was this possible? How was he reacting?

"She showed you?"

He merely nodded in confirmation as his hand roamed leisurely over her stomach.

"And…? How do you feel?" She wriggled around to face him again, looking for a glimpse of his reaction.

The shadow of amusement flickered again.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

She glared at him and he took a breath before he continued. He opened his mouth to speak but instead angled his hand behind her head and pulled his mouth to hers. They stayed there in that moment, lips locked together in fervent hunger, before he broke away.

"Piper." He breathed her name like a prayer. "Do you remember what I told you about us writing our own script? This is a part of it. It's a part of us. I'm afraid, but I'm also in _awe_."

"What about the elders?" she asked hesitantly. Part of her didn't want to bring up the political side of things, not in this moment.

A shadow flickered across his face and his hold on her tightened ever so slightly.

"When Zwi showed me, I was in the middle of a meeting with them."

"Oh?" She said, breathless as his lips brushed against her jawline.

"I almost jumped out of the window before I remembered where I was."

His lips continued their slow, smoldering trail down her neck. A kiss for every word he growled.

"I see," she said, only half listening now. "And will they… object?" He shifted her head so he could look into her eyes.

"They can try," he growled, steely determination glinting in his eyes. Then again, who were they to question the heir of two great dragons. She brushed her fingers through his hair, bringing him back to the moment, bringing his mouth back to hers. She couldn't bring herself to worry about it anymore. They would deal with it as they did anything else, one day at a time. Right now, all Piper wanted to do was be with him in this moment. He was not her moon, as Natania had referred to him. He was so much more than that to her, this man she loved with her entire being. He was her air and she was his water. Somehow, despite the odds, they had managed to write their own script. And there was still so much left to be told.


End file.
